Le Bistrot Gourmand - Entrecasteaux

Excellent food: unassuming, simple, and delicious. Very good quality. If you're looking for fancy reductions and desserts engulfed in tobacco smoke, this isn't for you; if you are an admirer of proper Mediterranean cuisine (with the odd Caribbean inspired or mountain dish), you'll be in heaven. I started with asparagus, cooked to perfection and served chilled, garnished with fresh herbs, a teaspoon of honey chutney, chopped tomato with cilantro and onion, a dollop of light, whipped chevre, and a nutty, perfectly dressed salad. It sounds so simple but was an explosion of tastes and was just delicious. My main course was much like a tartiflette, but with a variety of cheeses and crunchy lardons the owners used to work in Megeve and Annecy, hence the inclusion of such a winter comfort dish. Dessert was a simple bowl of fresh red fruit accompanied by sorbet couldn't be better after a rather heavy cheese dish. I also eyed the croutes with sauteed wild mushrooms at the neighbouring table because they looked wonderful. One note as with many restaurants in France, almost every dish has meat and/or cheese, but I'm more than confident that the chef would be accommodating should someone ask for an ingredient to be excluded. Perhaps most special about this small restaurant is the warm greeting by the owner upon arrival. She oozes charm and is genuinely interested in her clients, treating them more like old friends. She was very happy to chat about the menu and provide her opinion on the dishes. When we were unsure of what to choose, she made clear that we should feel at home and that we must take as much time as we needed, which was most welcome. The restaurant was full, and service was very prompt until dessert, when there was a slight wait but not enough to have made us restless; if anything, it just prolonged a delightful evening. The ambiance has been made very cosy in a difficult space but great care has been taken to make it look attractive and welcoming. There is also a salon with sofas for those who would like to begin the evening with an aperitif before making their way to their tables. I might suggest that some frosting be put on the glass of the bathroom door. As we left we were seen off with kisses and promises to return, which we most certainly will.

We love the location and the warm greeting. Service for the first course was prompt and then we felt we waited for ever for our main course (an hour? . When our mains arrived we were deeply disappointed. My partner couldn't even guess what was in her pasta. Such a shame as numerous previous visits were good. We left before pudding even though we had paid for it as we couldn't bear the wait. There was a real feeling of too few staff and an inadequate kitchen.

We were a party of 6 who booked last minute on the night of the Entracasteaux bastille celebrations. There was a set menu but a choice of 3 on each course. Whilst service was a little slow this was not an issue as we were waiting for the Bastille fireworks in any event. The food was excellent and the bill a reasonable €270 for 6 including (copious) wine.

I was worried have had so many disappointments in France in the past. But the Bistrot Gourmand was wonderful and I was not at all disappointed. Wonderful shady corner, surrounded by flowers. Menu was fairly limited quite lot of pasta and risotto but we all had an exceptionally good meal. I had the Daube de Boeuf really rich flavour. The sorbets (orange and raspberry) were some of the best I have ever had. Can 't comment on the winelist as we just had the carafes of rosé, which was fine. Serve was good attentive without being overbearing. Not sure I would class it as 'gourmet ' but it was an excellent bistrot. All in all, a very good meal.

Overall this was a pretty good experience, mainly because of the great service and the nice setting outside where you sit under the trees; the cuisine is not mind blowing, but correct and overall I cannot complain; if anything need to be changed is maybe try to be a bit more gourmand as the name of the restaurant says; I would give it another try though